The Gauntlet - March 2012

A Publication of Armorial Gold Heraldry Services

PYRAMID

symbol of duration and longevity

It is said that the pyramid represented the primal hill upon which Ra (God of the sun, and one of the major gods in Egyptian mythology) climbed out from the waters of Nun (the primeval water that encircles the entire world, and from which everything was

created, personified as a god). It is also said to represent the rays of the Sun falling upon the earth, providing sustenance for the Ba (the soul) of the king within. It is a rare device in heraldry but some writers say it is borne as a symbol of duration and longevity.

MERLIN FALCON

tame of appearance but fierce when provoked...

Falcons were used in a sport called Falconry. It is said the sport started in ancient China and Persia but soon became popular in ancient Egypt. Throughout the Middle-ages Counts and Earls used Peregrine Falcons and Ladyships would use Merlins. The Merlin became the symbol of a "Lady", tame of appearance but fierce when provoked.

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THE OSPREY

totem of the Fisherman

Also known as the fish hawk, the Osprey is the only bird of prey that feeds solely on live fish. Known for its acuity of sight, the Osprey has been used to represent those of vision; it is also a symbol of abundance and long used as a totem of the Fisherman

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THE PALM TREE

symbol of the righteous

Betoken on one as a reward for justice, as justice is long in coming to the virtuous. It is a symbolic tree of paradise. Denotes righteousness and resurrection. The Palm tree was sacred to Apollo, the Greek god of light and prophecy. He was born under a palm tree on the Aegean island of Delos. The date palm has been referred to as the tree of life and as such became a symbol of the righteous. In pre-Christian times the palm was regarded as a symbol of victory, justice, and high honour. It is the symbol of Saint Anastasia. The palm branch became an insignia for all those who, martyr or saint, deserved victory over evil.

THE PANSY

A colourful flowering plant. Pansy divination was said to be a method of fortune telling supposedly used by the Knights of the Round Table. It involved randomly picking a petal off a pansy and looking at its markings. Denotes love, freedom of thought and reflection, and also of good fortune.

MINERVA

protectress of commerce and industry

The Roman goddess of wisdom, medicine, the arts, science and trade, and also of war. As Minerva Medica she is the patroness of physicians. The Roman Minerva was especially the protectress of commerce and industry and of schools. It was only later that she assumed the character of a warrior-goddess. The Roman goddess first appeared in Etruria and was perhaps a goddess of the thunderbolt. She was then introduced into the Capitoline Triad, with Jupiter and Juno. According to Roman tradition the cult of Minerva originated in Falerii in 241 BC. One of her earliest temples was built on Mons Caelius and bore the name Minerva Capta. There was, however, a temple already consecrated to Minerva in Rome on the Aventine. According to one tradition Minerva was one of the gods brought to Rome by Numa. Minerva is commonly represented with helmet.

Popular Free Graphic Software Serif Draw for Windows has introduced some changes worth noting. The software was in disfavour when Vista came out as the Free version of Serif would not work with the Vista operating system nor its offspring Windows 7. The new free version is now called the Draw Plus Starter Edition and works with Vista and Windows 7. We should further note that when you have Serif ready to go, to open a wmf file you don't select "open", you use "insert" from file. For those who want to try it out, click on the Serif logo.

Free software for Windows and Mac. Tips: Use "open" to open a wmf file. To ungroup the image, click once on it and choose "modify" (top command bar), then select "break". To group an image you select the image with your mouse, then choose "modify" then "Group. To download software click on the Logo.

Know of other Free graphic software programs? Please let us know so that we can post it for other members to take advantage of.

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We are leaving this help tip up, as more and more of you are upgrading

your Corel Draw software to X3 or X4

Corel Draw has changed some default settings in X3 and X4 that can render your vector images black, do the same for your F9 preview and in the case of X4 display your image excessively dark.

Fixes:

Top Command Bar/View Select 'enhanced' and not 'enhanced with overprints';
Top Command Bar/Tools/Color Management Color Mode for Effects-should be set at RGB (not CMYK);
Top Command Bar/Tools Select 'Save Settings as default' ;
When importing AG graphics into X4, make sure you first group your image before using the F9 full screen preview (X3 imports the graphic already grouped).